


there's no race to be won

by literallynoonecares



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Short One Shot, What-If, king himbo ben solo, takes place during TROS on the death star remnants
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:29:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25998292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/literallynoonecares/pseuds/literallynoonecares
Summary: inspired by thistweet, a short one shot of if rey lets ben take her to exegol, but there's only one seat in the TIE
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 15
Kudos: 68
Collections: Reylo Prompt Fills (@reylo_prompts)





	there's no race to be won

She snaps out of the vision battling the dark version of herself. She sees Kylo and he picks up the wayfinder. She ignites her lightsaber instantly, inching closer to him. 

“Look at yourself. You wanted to prove to my mother that you were a Jedi, but you’ve proven something else.”

She stops in her tracks, and their bond is *buzzing* and alive. Clearer than ever before, like a live wire about to explode. 

He continues on, against his better judgement. 

“You can’t go back to her now. Like I can’t,” he says, voice cracking at the end. It’s the first time he’s mentioned his mother to her. It’s the first time he’s admitted to himself there’s no way he could ever return to her. It’s different for Rey, of course. She can’t go back because she’s falling to the dark too fast. 

He can’t go back because he already fell to the depths and has caused too much hurt and damage, he thinks. 

“Give it to me,” she demands, focusing in on the wayfinder. 

Her tone makes him shudder. 

“The dark side is in our nature. Surrender to it,” he challenges. 

She practically snarls at him. 

“Give it to me,” she says again.

He considers for a moment giving her the wayfinder. He considers letting her go. But he knows he can’t. She is one half of his soul, and he won’t let her walk into a trap. He won’t let her die because of her stubborn pride. 

The bond feels frayed and delicate, like they could rip it to shreds in a moment. 

“The only way you’re getting to Exegol is with me,” he says and shatters the wayfinder in his hand. 

“No!” She screams, and launches herself forward toward him, wielding her lightsaber. 

He’s quick on the uptake, avoiding her hits and igniting his own saber. He doesn’t move on the offensive -- he only blocks her hits. He knows she’s full of rage and he knows he deserves this, so he lets it happen. 

He moves them away from the interior remnants, and lets the waves wash over them. 

He still refuses to move to offensive forms. He wonders if she notices. Her anger clouds the bond, leaving little room for anything else. 

He hears FN-2187 call for her, and Kylo watches as she pushes the ex-stormtrooper back with the Force. 

_It’s just us, Rey,_ he says through their mental link, _it’s time to give up the ghost._

Their sabers lock and she pushes backward, leaping away from him. 

_You destroyed my one way to Exegol_ , she tells him, full of fury, sadness, and longing. 

_I don’t want to fight you, Rey. I won’t kill you._

They both grow tired of the fight, each swing of the lightsaber taking more and more out of them. But she refuses to stop. She refuses to fail. 

_And I know you won’t kill me either_ , he adds. 

_You have no idea what I would do_ , she replies, almost catching him off guard with a hit to his shoulder, but he blocks it at the last second. 

“You have to face your destiny. You have to face your past, who you are and where you came from. I know it’s not easy,” he speaks out loud now, both slowing down their hits even further. 

“I didn’t know who my grandfather was until I was a teenager. They hid it from me, afraid I’d fall to the dark. Look at me,” he says, and she feels his disgust toward himself and his utter disappointment and sadness fill the bond. 

“You destroyed my one way to Exegol,” she says again. 

“I have the other wayfinder. There were two made. I have it in my TIE. I meant it when I said the only way you’re getting to Exegol is with me. I won’t let you face your grandfather alone,” he says adamantly. 

“Yield,” she tells him. He nods in acknowledgement and extinguishes his saber. She follows suit. 

“Why do you want to help me?” She asks. 

“You know why,” he replies, unwilling to say it out loud. 

“Tell me, Ben,” she says forcefully. 

“You’re half of my soul, cyar’ika. I refuse to let you do this alone. I have so much to atone for, and this is the beginning. Let me help,” he admits. 

She considers for a moment the implications of joining forces with the Supreme Leader of the First Order. She considers Finn, Poe, and Rose and how she’d be betraying them. But she has to end this. She has to end Palpatine before he destroys the entire galaxy. 

And right now, Ben Solo is the only person she can trust to help her. She knows his heart, she knows what’s in his mind, and they have no secrets from each other. 

She knows he can’t bare his past sins. She knows he is full of regrets and heartache. 

He knows she is terrified of the future, of the past, of everything. He knows there’s a part of her that desires revenge and destruction.  
  
“Let’s go to Exegol,” she acquiesces. 

He says nothing, but leads her toward his TIE fighter. He opens the door and he follows her in. 

She turns on the spot and scowls. 

“There’s only one seat,” she realizes. 

“Sorry, cyar’ika. It won’t be a long trip,” he says. There’s a smirk on his face that Rey thinks is so unmistakably Ben Solo. There’s no trace of Kylo Ren left on his face. All that’s left is someone who Rey is so certain is Han Solo’s son.

“You are insufferable,” she replies. 

He doesn’t recoil or get upset by the insult. Instead, he smiles -- he knows he’s pressed her buttons and he knows deep down she’s fine with it, because they can’t hide anything from each other. 

“Where do you expect me to sit?” 

“On my lap?” He asks almost innocently, testing the waters of their relationship and newfound camaraderie. 

“I get to pilot this thing, then,” she states firmly. 

“Okay,” he gives in, “but if you are bad I reserve the right to take over.”

“You really are your father’s son,” she comments and he grimaces. She regrets it immediately, and opens her mouth to apologize. 

“Don’t. I did always want to be a pilot like him,” he confesses. 

“We should get out of here,” she says, moving out of the way for him to get to pilot seat. 

He sits down and nervousness passes through the bond. Neither is sure from whom it originates, and neither are sure if it’s about what they’re flying into, or their current situation. 

She sits on his lap and he pulls her closer to him, her back flush with his chest. 

The bond feels at peace and satisfied for the first time since the night in the hut on Ahch-To. 

She flips the hyperdrive on and he shows her how to navigate with the wayfinder. 

“It’ll tell you the way,” he says. 

She turns her head and nods at him, not breaking eye contact. 

“I know,” he says, acknowledging her fear and trepidation, “but it’s time to end it.”

Their journey is mostly silent, with only a few moments where she asks questions about the TIE. He keeps one hand around her waist and she leans against him more than she would like to admit. 

She feels secure like this, and the bond feels so complete. 

She can tell he feels it too, because he starts to get bolder and bolder as the flight goes on.

He kisses the back of her head, and moves toward her neck, placing gentle kisses on the nape of her neck and jawline. 

“Ben,” she admonishes lightly and halfheartedly. 

“We both know we both have wanted that for a long time,” he says against her neck. 

She melts into his touch, and he kisses her cheek. She turns her head and kisses him on the mouth, languid and full of everything unsaid between the two of them. 

They stay like this for a while. They put so much of themselves into the kiss that they both feel a loss when they break apart for air. Ben squeezes her tighter, holding her as close as possible without crushing her. Rey thinks that he’s crushed her anyway -- this isn’t something they can ever come back from. 

Nothing would be the same after this. They both know that there’s a chance they don’t come back from Exegol, and they savor this time together as one -- a true dyad in the Force. 

They leave autopilot on until they get close to Exegol. The TIE starts to lose its course, and Rey centers herself in the Force to let the wayfinder guide her. He whispers words of encouragement against her cheek and neck and doesn’t let go of the grip on her waist. 

She lands on Exegol against her belief she wouldn’t be able to do it in such an intense asteroid field and extreme weather. She does it, and turns to look at Ben with pride. 

“Are you ready, cyar’ika?” He asks, his voice shaky but he tries to be a solid, calming presence in the Force for her. 

“As we’ll ever be,” she says, kissing him on the lips one last time before extracting herself from his lap.

She extends her hand toward him and they exit the TIE, ready to face Palpatine together.

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos appreciated always :) 
> 
> find me on [ twitter ](https://twitter.com/literallynooc)


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